Michael St. John

Eric Newby started in Naples and went clockwise round the Mediterranean,as his wife Wanda's advised, and so begain the wonderfully madcap adventure, ‘On the Shores of the Mediterranean’.

Fascinating account of allied men and women's bravery in World War 2 battle.

Travel and adventure retracing the tracks of Genghis Khan's horde as they established history's largest empire, and the legends surrounding the Great Khan's life, and how Mongolian culture has changed little since the Middle Ages.

Having amassed all that is known of the kaleidoscopic blunders, deceptions and fateful games of secret intelligence, the author explains how Europe's leaders were influenced and misled by Hitler's demonic drive for power. Here are the reasons for a multicausal war that reshaped the world.

Story of the heroic glider pilots in World War II.

An account of Van Gogh's life and work with insightful excerpts from numerous letters to family and friends. The authors paints a totally honest picture of Van Gogh's life, emphasising his spirit and dedication and his battles with depression which along with his genius led to such amazing works of art.

A full account of the extraordinary life of the artist, Gauguin.

Responding to Titanic's distress calls in the early hours of 15 April 1912, Captain Arthur Rostron raced the Cunard liner Carpathia to the scene of the sinking, rescued seven hundred survivors, and then carried them to safety to New York. The heroism and compassion shown to the survivors and tales from the eye-witnesses is all here from official records and first person accounts in this experienced commander’s memoirs.

For many years mystery surrounded the death of Tchaikovsky, which occurred just a week after he conducted the first performance of the Pathetique symphony. His family claimed that he contracted cholera after drinking a glass of unboiled water but there is some debate as to whether this was accidental or self-inflicted.

Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Fisher, was one of history's great reformers but became one of the best loved, yet most loathed public figures.

In this authoritative study of the painter, widely regarded as the father of modern art, Richard Verdi traces the evolution of Cezanne's landscape, still-life and figure compositions, from the turbulently romantic creations of his youth to the visionary masterpieces of his final years.

A critical view of the British rule in India based on the experience of living under the British Raj by the author of "Jewel in the Crown".

The story of three generations of the wealthiest and most powerful dynasty in the world - the Aga Khan's.

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is one of the most commemorated events in English history. Yet this astonishing episode remains shrouded in mystery and the subject of passionate argument. The author untangles the intricate relationship between religion and politics in the early 17th century.

In 1930 the author & traveller spent a dangerous month hunting alone in the hostile Danakil desert of Abyssinia.

Sam Falle, the British Ambassador and High Commissioner for the Middle East in the turbulent years following the Iran - Iraq war, provides an insight into life in the foreign service, featuring incident, danger and frustration.

The story of an SOE operative. The author relates his personal experiences during the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Polish Campaign of 1939.

For 600 years the bleak isles called the Skelligs, off the west coast of Ireland, were home to a community of monks. What happened to send them back to the mainland?

Wiesenthal's name is synonymous with Nazi-hunting. In this moving biography the author shows that he is also a fighter for human rights, justice and integrity.

Edward Enfield is an entertaining guide recounting his cycle trip across France from the Channel to the Mediterranean.

This is a whirlwind tour through 13,000 years of history on all the continents - a short history of everything about everybody. It provides an explanation for the differing developments of human societies on different continents and demolishes the grounds for racist theories of history.

John Hull provides a moving portrayal of the experience of being blind and gives a heightened awareness of the role of sight in our lives. Contains strong language.

A well written account of the advances in medicine from Ancient Greek times to the present day by the author of the humorous "Doctor" series.

The author, a Dutchman in exile, joined the S.O.E. and worked with the Resistance in France. He survived two concentration camps and a slave labour camp.

Witty, candid and honest, the author's observations and anecdotes are a delightful and entertaining read.

Isaac Newton was not only a scientist, but a practising alchemist who dabbled with the occult. This account of his life reveals a man whose image has been protected and falsified for almost three hundred years. He shunned orthodox Christianity and risked his health in a ceaseless quest for an understanding of the Universe.

In one of the funniest autobiographies ever written, the author recalls the earlier years of his life.

The author was born into a world of affluence and has first hand experience of the Rothschild family and bank of the interwar years, thus providing a unique history.

A portrait of John Sparrow, classical scholar, lawyer, literary critic and Warden of All Souls Oxford.

A completely absorbing account of life inside the world's oldest and richest auction house.

To most English people George III is the king who went mad. In this book the author reassesses this remarkable man to explain why he was so widely loved by his subjects.

A fascinating portrait of the Lord Chancellor who dominated the court of Henry VIII, but lost his life because of his Roman Catholic faith.

A portrait of Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1944 to 1961. Post-war changes in society were also reflected in the Church of England and Fisher was flexible towards change.

Leo Marks was the head of the code department of SOE during the Second World War, and this memoir gives a unique picture of the organization at work.

In 1786 the Northern Lighthouse Trust was set up because of Scotland's dangerous seas. When Robert Stevenson became the Chief Engineer this started a partnership spanning two centuries.

In 1866 Sir Charles Mordaunt married Harriett Moncrieffe. When her first child is born, Harriett confesses that Sir Charles might not be the father.